A new Professor Layton game made it into Nintendo's third party 3DS release lineup coming out of E3 today. No details were provided at the time, but Level-5, the game's developer and publisher, quickly followed up with a formal announcement of the game in Japan.

The new game, Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle, is actually old news in Japan. Level-5 originally announced the title at a press event in November of last year as the next Layton game to follow the then upcoming Specter's Flute. A platform for the game was not announced at the time, and it looks like we now know why.

(Update 6/17 2:16 -- Level-5 states that it did announce the game as a DS title last year, but the platform has been changed to 3DS.)

As detailed last year, Mask of Miracle is set in Casino City, a city that was created by the magic power of the Mask of the title. The Mask of Miracle is the same mask that's worn by Specter's Flute villain Death Call. It's said to be capable of granting the wishes of its possessors.

An early Famitsu feature on the game said that it would feature some big system changes from past Layton titles. The magazine provided only artwork of the game. Screenshots were first shared today at the E3 press conference.

All screenshots were provided by Nintendo at today's E3 press conference.

Also of note is that Level-5 originally promised a Fall 2010 release time period for the game. In its reannouncement today, the company listed the date as TBA.

Level-5 also said today that it would be taking advantage of the 3DS's 3D capabilities to allow players to experience an adventure in a world with depth. The key phrase for the game is "Puzzle Solving X 3D."